Part II: Breaking the Barriers
The rise of the Internet and its accompanying forums, message boards, and comment areas has brought with it Internet trolls. While some trolls post inflammatory remarks for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of other users for “lulz,” others do so simply because the Internet grants them the anonymity that allows them to express their most offensive and racist views without consequence. Most alarmingly, the behavior is a reflection of mindsets we thought were in the minority in our “post-racial” society. Unfortunately, it is far too common to see tweets, comments, and forum posts riddled with racial epithets.
Who’s Doing This?
Some contend that the most recent incidents show that the Internet, which allows a higher level of anonymity than face-to-face interaction, can enable racism in a manner never seen before. And that is true.
A 2010 article by the Associated Press explored this phenomenon and concluded, “Internet anonymity has removed one of the strongest barriers to the type of language that can ruin reputations and end careers.” The article pointed out that racist language online was ubiquitous and something perpetrated by whites and blacks alike. [click to continue…]
Current events around the globe are proving that Internet access allows people to exercise a range of human and civil rights.
An opinion editorial by highly regarded Internet Scholar Vinton Cerf has sparked debate about whether the definition of human and civil rights can include Internet access. However, the issue of whether Internet access is a human right is not one of definition, but of urgency and priority.
The United Nations’ definition of human rights is commonly understood as the inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled, simply because she or he is a human being. In creating an internationally recognized set of human rights, the UN’s intent was to commit states to safeguarding certain rights in relation to other states in regard to their own citizens. [click to continue…]
The following article by Chris Naoum originally appeared on Broadband Breakfast.
First search, then social media, and now privacy concerns? The digital world has transformed the way consumers access content; one can search an article they are interested in, subscribe to Google Reader, follow a friend’s recommendation from Twitter or read an article a co worker read via the Washington Post Social Reader on Facebook. With content companies and social media companies competing for ad dollars and the eyes of consumers, where do the privacy concerns come in, and how is government and industry dealing with these consumer concerns?
At last month’s Broadband Breakfast “Social Networking, the End of Media and Future of Privacy,” government officials, industry representatives and advertising experts all weighed in on this question and many more.
Julie Brill, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission gave the opening Keynote remarks summarizing the FTC’s recent report setting out new industry privacy framework for a nation that loves to share. [click to continue…]
It happens all too often: We read an interesting article and feel compelled to add our two cents about the topic, so we scroll down to the comments section only to be faced with a barrage of hate. Arguably, most people who write articles would love for their work to be a catalyst for discussion and learning. Unfortunately, many journalists have found the opposite, their words being a springboard for racists and Internet trolls to graffiti their work with odium.
According to digital scholar Vint Cerf, “The Internet is a reflection of our society and that mirror is going to be reflecting what we see. If we do not like what we see in that mirror the problem is not to fix the mirror, we have to fix society.” But is this true? Are the vile words of so many on the Internet true representations of American society? And what effect does that have on minority broadband adoption and their desire to allow access to this type of expression into their home? [click to continue…]
Last July, the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics released a data brief that found that white adults between the ages of 18 and 64 are far more likely than their black and Hispanic counterparts to search for health information online. Fifty-seven percent of whites surveyed had looked up medical information online over the last 12 months, compared to 38 percent of blacks and 29 percent of Hispanics.
At first look, these findings can be attributed to two well-known and interrelated facts: more than half of all black and Hispanic households lack a broadband connection, and many of these non-adopters cite lack of interest or need as the reason for not being connected. Solving this conundrum requires immediate action by policymakers at every level of government to ensure that more minorities understand and appreciate the many health-related benefits associated with using broadband at home. [click to continue…]
The following article by Joseph Miller originally appeared on Politic365.
Black unemployment is a symptom of persistent racial discrimination and skills gaps, but competition and trade policies play a role in unemployment that policy makers too often overlook. Information technology (IT) and intellectual property (IP) theft is a significant threat to U.S. companies’ ability to generate revenue and thus, jobs.
Recently, U.S. Senators Mary L. Landrieu (D-Louisiana) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, along with a bipartisan group of 14 other Committee members, wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging it to assist 36 state attorneys general in confronting the growing problem of IT and IP theft from U.S. companies by foreign and other manufacturers.
Some have noted that many African-Americans are already grappling with a silent economic depression. While the nation’s employment picture has slowly improved over recent months to an unemployment rate of 8.3 percent in February 2012, the unemployment rate of African-Americans still stands at 14.1 percent, which is up from 13.6 percent in January. This is significantly higher than the Great Recession peak overall unemployment rate of 10.2% in October of 2009. [click to continue…]
Nestled in the heart of D.C. overlooking the White House, some of media’s elite gathered at the 3rd Annual “Our Voices: Celebrating Diversity in the Media White House Correspondents’ Weekend Reception” last Friday. The reception was held on the rooftop of the Hay-Adams Hotel, where guests were able to enjoy the evening’s festivities while draped in a scenic view of the city.
Maria Teresa Kumar, David Sutphen, and a committee that included the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart and CNN’s Geraldine Moriba planned the event that benefited Voto Latino, an organization aimed at empowering American Latinos to exercise their voting rights and help bring their concerns to the political stage. Since its inception in 2004, Voto Latino has used celebrity voices and the latest technology to register more than 120,000 young Latino voters, participate in the 2010 Census, and mobilize Latinos to speak out and take action on policies impacting their lives.
Hollywood actress and Voto Latino co-founder Rosario Dawson served as the honorary host of the reception that recognized honorary guests MSNBC President Phil Griffin, President and Editor-in-Chief of Huffington Post Media Group Arianna Huffington, and BET Networks Chairman and CEO Debra L. Lee for their contributions to promoting diversity in the media. [click to continue…]
Earlier this year, National Urban League President Marc Morial declared, “In 2012, the right to vote is under attack.” And last month craigconnects, craigslist founder Craig Newmark’s online initiative that features nonprofits using technology for social good, published an infographic to illustrate how more than five million eligible voters’ rights are under fire.
The infographic released in late-March, which reiterated Morial’s claim, detailed how laws and pending legislation across the country could contribute to low voter turnout and even fewer new registered voters during the 2012 Election Cycle. Laws that require a photo-ID to register and vote and pose restrictions on voter registration drives – which are projected to do more harm than good – would make the jobs of organizations on the front lines of mobilizing and registering new voters extremely difficult.
Additionally, these voter blockade tactics could have adverse long-term effects when it comes to seeking long-term improvements for media and telecommunications social justice issues affecting minority, low-income, and underserved U.S. citizens. [click to continue…]
As we all are aware, many students struggle every day in school. And too often their struggles can overwhelm, leading them to drop out of school altogether. The dropout crisis is real. Many nonprofits, community groups, and others are working to reduce the number of students failing to graduate from high school. One such initiative is AT&T’s Aspire program.
For more than 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to strengthening communities through advancing education. In 2008, AT&T launched AT&T Aspire, specifically focused on confronting the high school dropout crisis to help ensure that students graduate prepared for the future challenges of continuing education and the workforce. An educated workforce for the future is not only critical to the success of our nation, but to the success of businesses, both large and small, around the country. We all need these students to succeed and to power the “possibility economy” of today—and more importantly—of tomorrow.
Nearly one fourth of all students—and nearly 40 percent of African American, Hispanic, and Native American students—fail to graduate with their class. Through Aspire, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are working to help reverse this trend by identifying programs that work and bringing them to scale, supporting the work of educators and helping students get excited about setting and achieving their goals. [click to continue…]
Part II: Using Social Media to Promote Your Business
In a world where African Americans and other minorities face extreme difficulty creating tech-based companies, it is important for would-be entrepreneurs to create their own solutions. At the Black Women’s Roundtable’s recent financial workshop, Linking Broadband Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, several black tech entrepreneurs and experts weighed in.
Sharing her tools on using social media to improve the success of a start-up business, Black Women’s Roundtable Telecommunications Policy Advisor Joycelyn Tate cautioned, “Social media is not just about Facebook. For your business, you need to establish a business Facebook page and a business Twitter account that is totally separate from your personal Facebook page or Twitter account.” She also recommended that entrepreneurs use industry-specific social media research, and that they be present in the industry-specific sites instead of just being on Facebook. [click to continue…]
Kurt Merriweather is the Director of Emerging Business Development at Discovery Communications. In this role, Merriweather is responsible for identifying and incubating opportunities that leverage new audiences, new products and new business models. Merriweather is currently forming a new organization within Discovery that will be dedicated to reaching the channel’s audiences across video, mobile and social media platforms. Prior to his current role, Merriweather worked as Discovery’s Director of Digital Media Business Development, as well as a business director for America Online and senior project manager for several companies.
Elijah Young is a serial entrepreneur who has had a hand in starting nearly twenty businesses since 2003. His most recent venture, 
Jose Mas (and his family) were our very first Multicultural Entrepreneurs of the Week when BBSJ was launched, and we believe he deserves the distinction again. Mas has been CEO of MasTec, a company that is building broadband and telecommunications infrastructure for the entire nation, since 2007. He is the latest in a line of Mas businessmen and women who have built the company from the ground-up into an employer over 10,000 people across the country. In the time since Mas has headed the company, its revenues have doubled and earnings have more than tripled. Last week, Mas was featured on the CBS reality show “Undercover Boss,” which follows senior executives as they work in disguise with lower levels of staff to learn about the inner workings of their companies and how they can improve upon them.
Apple computers and operating systems are widely considered safer and more secure than most other systems, an important factor for consumers in an age where hackers are running rampant online.
Unfortunately, Apple’s recent update to its latest operating system, the Mac OS X Lion, version 10.7.3,
included a security flaw that exposed passwords by storing them outside the encrypted area of users’ devices. When security researcher David Emery discovered the flaw last week, other experts provided tips for users to protect their data until Apple fixed the problem, including changing FileVault passwords and deleting the debug log file, named “/var/log/secure.log,” from the disk drive. Unfortunately, many consumers are simply not that tech-savvy, and they remained at risk until Apple released another update that addressed the problem.
